Adjustable chair



April 6, 1954 1 M, DQRTON 2,674,303

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR Filed April 17, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l April 6, 1954 Filed April 17, 1950 J. M. DORTON ADJUSTABLE CHAIR 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENToR. da/7 44. D0/"ffm April 6, 1954 J. M. DoRToN 2,674,303

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR Filed April 17, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. ../a/i/v M @0r/af? Patented Apr. 6, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE CHAIR John M. Dorton, Bonner Springs, Kans.

Application April 17, 1950, Serial No. 156,271

7 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful irnprovements in adjustable chairs, and has particular reference to a reclining chair suitable for use in railroad trains, busses, and other public conveyances.

In public conveyances, it is of course common practice to use chairs having backs which may be inclined rearwardly at adjustable angles, in order that the occupant of the chair may assume a semi-reclining position for comfort and for sleeping. In most trains, busses, and the like, the chairs are arranged in rows, with the spacing between each chair and the chairs in front of and behind it at a minimum, in order to conserve space. A common difficulty with such chairs has been that if the back of one chair is tilted rearwardly, it will closely approach or overlap the seat of the chair behind, thus forming an inconvenience and annoyance to the occupant of the latter chair. The principal object of the present invention is therefore the provision of a reclining chair wherein the rearward projection of the chair baci; for any given angle of inclinan tion is greatly reduced.

Another object is the provision of a reclining chair wherein the back is pivoted at its lower edge to the seat member, and at a joint above said seat is pivotally connected to the chair body, said seat being movable forwardly and rearwardly with respect to said chair body whereby said back is tilted.

A further object is the provision of an adjustable chair of the class described wherein the back may be tilted independently of movement of the seat.

Other objects are simplicity and economy of construction, convenience and dependability of operation, and adaptability for use wherever a reclining chair is desired.

With these objects in View, as well as other objects which will appear in the course of the specification, reference will be had to the drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an adjustable chair embodying the present invention, shown in its normal position in solid lines and reclined Without moving the seat in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the chair shown in Fig. 1, with the seat and back cushions removed.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 2, showing the chair in normal position in solid lines and reclined by moving the seat forwardly in dotted lines.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 1, with parts left in elevation.

side member 24 of seat frame 22 extends down- Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line V-V of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line VI-VI of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section taken on line VII- VII of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section taken on line VIII- VIII of Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section taken on line iX-XX of Fig. 5.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary section taken on line X-X of Fig. 6, with parts left in elevation.

Fig. ll is a fragmentary section taken on line XI-XI of Fig. 6.

Like reference numerals apply to similar parts throughout the several views, and the numeral 2 refers to a body member comprising a. pair of like side frames 4. Each of said side frames comprises a front leg S, a rear leg 8, a horizontal tubular guide it extending between and rigidly at tached to the upper ends of said front and rear legs, and a bar l2 extending between and rigidly attached to said front and rear legs adjacent the lower ends thereof. Bars I2 are rigidly con nected by a tubular member It which extends transversely of the chair. An elongated support member I6, preferably of hollow square crosse section, is xed to the inner face of each side frame 4. Said support members are parallel, sloping upwardly to the front, and are welded or otherwise rigidly secured to legs 5 and 8 of the side frames. Said support members extend forwardly from front legs 6, and the extended portions thereof are supported by braces I8. A plurality of cross-bars 20 extend between support members I6 transversely of the chair, and are rigidly secured at their ends to said support members.

Support members I6 carry a seat frame 22 which is essentially an open rectangle formed of angle iron and having parallel side members 2t disposed substantially above support members It. At each of its rearward corners, frame 22 carries a roller 215 for rotation on an axle 28 which is horizontal and disposed transversely to the chair. Said rollers engage the upper surface of support members I6. Each of said support members carries at its forward end a roller 3! rotatably mounted on an axle 32 which is horizontal and disposed transversely to the chair. Said rollers engage the lower surfaces of side member 2li of seat frame 22. Said seat frame is thus.supported for forward or rearward rolling movement on rollers 26 and 30. A pin 3d rigidly xed in each 3 wardly through a slot 38 formed longitudinally in the upper wall of the associated support member I6, as shown in Fig. 5. The length of said slots limits the movement of the seat frame. An enlarged head 38 formed on pin 3:3 Within support member I6 prevents the seat frame from being raised upwardly from the support members. A resiliently compressible seat cushion 45 of any suitable construction is carried by seat frame 22.

Seat frame 22 is urged rearwardly, as'shown in Fig. 5-and in solid lines in Fig 3, by a helical tension spring 2 carried in each of support members It. ward end to pin S4 and at its rearward end toa cap 4d which bears against the rearward end of support member I6. Said seat frame may` be secured in its rearward position, or released for forward movement against springs 42, by a mechanism including a shaft l5 carried by axial oscillation in tubular member I4 and having crank levers 48 and 5d fixed respectively to the opposite ends thereof. Said crank levers extend upwardly, and each has a longitudinal slot 52 formed therein for engaging a pin 58 fixed in the adjacent side member 24 of seat frame 22. Crank lever 5i) extends upwardly from said seat frame, and is connected at its upper end to a lever 56v by pivot pin 58. Lever 56 is provided at its opposite end with a handle 6i) and is longitudinally slotted intermediate its ends at 62 for engaging a. screw 64 fixed in a lug 86 xed rigidly to tubular guide I8. Slot 62 is provided at its upper end with a laterally extending notch 68 which engages screw 64 by gravity whenever seat frame 22 is in its rearmost position. When lever 55 is manually operated to release screw 64 from notch 58, seat frame 22 may be moved forwardly by forward force exerted by the occupant on the seat cushion.

The back structure comprises a back frame 'I8 and a back cushion l2. The back frame is of substantially an inverted U-shape, having parallel spaced apart side bars` llt and a transverse crossfbar i6 joining the upper ends of said side bars. The lower ends of said side bars are connected by means of pivot pins 'i8 to brackets 80v fixed to seat frame 22 at the rearward corners thereof. Back cushion 'I2 is pivotally connected at its lower edge to the rearward edge of seat cushion fill by any suitable hinge connection 82, and is curved rearwardly and downwardly at its upper end for connection with cross-bar I6 of the back frame. Said back cushion is relatively thin and flexible, and it will be seen that it will move upwardly and downwardly with seat cushion 45) as the latter. is compressed by the weight of the occupant. This unitary motion of the seat and back cushions prevents the rubbing or friction between the back cushion and the occupants back which would otherwise result from the constant jostling encountered in busses and other public conveyances. This greatly reduces the fatigue normally encountered on extended rides.

Back frame Ill is supported by a pair of tubular guides 84 which are respectively slidable on side bars I4 of the back frame. Said guides are pivotally mounted by means of pins 86 on slides 88. Said slides are tubular, and extend forwardly for slidable engagement in tubular guides I0, which form a part of the body member 2 of the chair. Said slides are urged forwardly at all times by a pair of helical tension springs 98 carried respectively withinsaid slides. As best shown in Fig. 6, each of` said'springs is secured Said spring is secured at its for-Y at its rearward end to the associated pivot pin 86, and at its forward end to a cap 92 which bears against the forward end of guide I0.

Guides Ill also serve as mountings for the arm rests 913. As best shown in Figs. 6 and 10, each of said arm rests comprises a sheet metal mounting bracket 96 welded or otherwise fixed to guide If), a base 98 secured to said bracket, a cover IUD tacked to said base, and cushion material I'Il2 lling the space between said base and said cover. The base 98 is longitudinally slotted at its forward portion as at |04, and a lever |08 is mounted pivotally therein on a pin |08 mounted in and, extending transversely of said base. At its forward end said lever projects outwardly from. the armrest to form a handle I I0. At its rearward end said lever is formed to present a tang I I2 which projects downwardly through a hole IMY formed in bracket 96 and guide I0, and selectively engages one of a plurality of longitudinally spaced holes IIS formed alongthe upper side of slide 88 carried in said guide. The rearward end of, lever, |86 is urged downwardly by a leaf springV I I8 fixed at one end to base 98. and bearing resiliently at its opposite end against said lever. It will be noted that the forward edge of tang H2 is substantially at right angles to the axis of slide 88, so that said slide cannotbe moved rearwardly, and back cushion l2. cannot be tilted rearwardly unless handles IIO, have.

been depressed to withdraw tangs l I2 from holes- IIS. The rearward edges of tangs II2, however, may bebevelled as shown, so that the chair back will return automatically to its upright positionv whenever the occupantleans forwardly, slide 88 camming tang I I2 upwardly.

The operation of the chair is substantially asV follows:

When the chair is unoccupied, it will always occupy the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 1, the seat assembly being moved rearwardly by springs 42 and the backstructure being tilted to its upright position by springs 98. When the occupant sits down, the chair will be retainedv in fixed adjustment by levers 56and IDS. When the occupant desires to recline, he may press handles IIIl of levers |06 downwardly, thereby releasing tangs I I2 from holes IIB in slides 88; The pressure exerted on the back by they occu.- pant will then tilt the back rearwardly as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l. Slides 88 move rearwardly in guides Ill, andv back frame 'IUI slides in guides 8.4. When4 the desired angle of inclination has been reached the. occupantI releases handles I I8, and tangs I I2` are moved again into engagement with slides 88 by springs II8.

The occupant may also obtain inclination of the. chair back by manually operating lever 56' to disengage notch G8 of"slotv 62' of said lever from screw 64, thereby permitting the seat to move forwardly as indicated in` dotted lines in Fig. 3. Since the back is pivoted to saidseat' at its lower edge, and since the back is pivotally and slidably carried by the chair body at a point spaced above the seat', the forwardmotion of the seat will' cause. the back to be in'- clined as shown. The force for moving the seatV forwardly against the tension 0f springs 9U. is furnished by the pressure the occupant exerts againstback cushion l2; This pressure causes the back to operate as a lever acting about pivot pins 86 as afulcrum to urge the seat forwardly. It will be seen by a comparison of (Figs. 1 and 3 that inclining the chair back by movingthe seat forwardly, rather than by moving slides.

88 rearwardly, produces substantially the same angle of inclination without causing the back to project rearwardly to so great an extent. This is a great advantage in that the back will not overlap the next chair behind that shown, when the chairs are arranged in rows as in trains, busses, and other public conveyances. The seat motion also provides a sort of rocking chair action, as the tension of springs 42 is approximately balanced by the force tending to move the seat forwardly.

The provision of both methods of tilting the chair back also has several advantages. Together they permit a greater degree of reclining than would be practically obtainable with either method singly. Reclining by moving slides 88 may be used when the rearward projection of the chair back is not an important factor, or when it is desired to x the seat against motion, rather than releasing it for oating movement against springs 42. Furthermore, by adjusting slides 88, the component of the occupants weight which operates back frame 'l0 as a lever forcing the seat forwardly, and the proportions of said lever, may be varied to balance the tension of springs 42 substantially against the force tending to move the seat forwardly. This provides that persons of widely varying weights may adjust the seat to provide the proper rocking action.

While I have shown a specific embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that many minor changes of construction and operation could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desired that my protection extend to all subject matter falling properly within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. An adjustable chair comprising a body member, a seat structure carried by said body member for forward and rearward movement, a back structure pivotally connected at its lower edge to said seat structure at the rearward edge thereof on a horizontal axis extending from side to side of said seat structure, and a guide member carried f by said back structure for sliding movement at right angles to the axis of the pivotal connection of said back to said seat, said guide member being pivotally mounted on said body member on an axis parallel to the axis of the pivotal connection f of said back structure to said seat structure.

2. An adjustable chair comprising a body member, a seat structure carried by said body member for limited forward and rearward movement, a

back structure including parallel spaced apart side bars pivotally connected at their lower ends to said seat structure at the rearward edge thereof on a horizontal axis extending from side to side of said seat structure, and a pair of tubular guides carried by said body member for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to the pivotal axis of said side bars, said guides respectively engaging said side bars for slidable movement therealong.

3. An adjustable chair comprising a body member, a seat frame carried by said body member for limited forward and rearward movement, a spring urging said frame toward the rearward limit of its movement, a latch carried by said body member and operable to secure said seat frame in its rearward position, manually operable means for releasing said latch, a resiliently compressible seat cushion carried by said seat frame, a back frame including parallel spaced apart side bars pivotally connected at their lower ends to said seat frame on a horizontal axis extending from side to side of said seat frame, a flexible back cushion having its upper edge portion turned rearwardly and downwardly and secured at its edge to said back frame and pivotally connected at its lower edge to said seat cushion at the rearward edge thereof, and a guide member carried for sliding movement on each of the side bars of said back frame, said guides being pivotally attached to said body member on a horizontal axis parallel to the axis of the pivotal connection of said seat and back frames.

4. An adjustable chair comprising a body member, a seat structure carried by said body member for forward and rearward movement, slide members carried by said body member for forward and rearward movement above said seat structure,4 means for fixing said slide members at variousA positions in their movement, a back structure secured pivotally at its lower edge to said seat structure at the rearward edge, and guides connected to the rearward ends of said slide members for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to the axis of the pivotal connection of said seat and back structures, said guides engaging said back structure for sliding movement transverse to the axis of said pivotal connections.

5. An adjustable chair comprising a body member, a seat structure carried by said body member for forward and rearward movement, slide members carried by said body member for forward and rearward movement above said seat structure, latches carried by said body member and operable to secure said slide members at various positions in their movement, guide members carried at the l rearward ends of said slide members for pivotal movement on a horizontal axis extending laterally of said chair, and a back structure pivotally connected at its lower edge to said seat structure on a horizontal axis extending from side to side of said seat structure and including parallel longitudinal bars slidably engaged with said guide members.

6. An adjustable chair comprising a body member, a seat structure carried by said body member for forward and rearward movement, slide members carried by said body member for forward and rearward movement above said seat structure, resilient means urging said seat structure rearwardly, resilient means urging said slide members forwardly, manually operable latches carried by said body member and operable to arrest rearward movement of said slide members at various positions, a tubular guide carried for pivotal movement at the rearward end of each of said slide members on a horizontal axis extending laterally of said chair, and a back structure pivotally connected at its lower edge to said seat structure and including parallel bars slidably carried in said guides.

'7. An adjustable chair comprising a body member, a seat frame carried by said -body member for limited forward and rearward movement, a spring urging said frame toward the rearward limit of its movement, an automatically engageable latch carried by said body member and operable to secure said seat frame in its rearward position, manually operable means for releasing said latch, a resiliently compressible seat cushion carried by said seat frame, a back frame including parallel spaced apart side bars pivotally connected at their lower ends to said seat frame on a horizontal axis extending from side to side of said seat frame, a resiliently yieldable back cushion secured at its upper edge to said back frame and pivotally connected at its lower edge to said seat Cushioniat the rearwardY edge zthereof, .azhorizoneA talfslide, carriedrfor forward and rearwardmovement by saidbody member at. eachside thereof, springs urgingA said slide members, forwardly, manuallyy operable latches `carried byv said body 5 member and operable to limit adjustably the rearward movementl of said slides, and a tubular guide carriedr by each of said slides at the rearward end thereof :for pivotal movement on a horizontal axis extending laterally of said. chair, saidguides hav- 10 ing sliding engagement' with i theside bars -of-lsaid backsframe.

Referencesy Citedln the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 780,771 Axelrad Jan. 24, 1905 2,143,098 Wohlk Jan. 10, 1939 2,374,848 Wohlk .May 1, 1945 

